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WHY I AM A JOURNALIST

Published by Ellen on October 29, 2005

By Ellen Tordesillas
PJR Reports
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
September-October 2005

There’s nothing profound about why I went into journalism.

Writing is my only marketable skill.I can’t dance. I can’t sing. I’m not gifted with marketing savvy to make it as a saleswoman. I’m too disorganized to be a secretary.

But I have always been curious about other people. I want to be where the action is.

When I was in highschool in Iloilo City, I went out with a friend shopping. While walking, we noticed that a couple ahead of us was quarreling. While other pedestrians avoided the couple, I told my friend that we should follow them. From a verbal quarrel, the fight became physical. The woman picked up a stone and threw it at the man. He ducked and the stone hit my face.

I went home with a bandaged forehead.

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Tambakan ng mga rejects

Published by Ellen on October 29, 2005

Ang laking insulto sa Department of Foreign Affairs ang kumento ni Serge Remonde, secretary for government media, na tama lang na i-appoint si Bobi Tiglao na ambassador sa Greece.

“Sabi ni Remonde, “He has undergone a serious heart operation and he deserves to take it easier.” (Na-operahan siya sa puso at dapat lang na relax lang siya.)

Ang tingin talaga ng mga tao sa Malacañang ng posisyon ng ambassador ay bakasyon o kaya, pa-party-party lang. Kaya tuloy ginagawang regalo sa mga taong napakinabangan sa pulitika o kaya tambakan ng mga rejects.

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People’s Court

Published by Ellen on October 28, 2005

Palagi nating sinasabi ang katotohanan ay parang tubig na dumadaloy. Hindi ‘yan ma-aaring pigilan. Dadaloy at dadaloy yan.

Ganyan ang nangayari sa katotohanan tungkol sa pandaraya ni Arroyo noong 2004 elections. Pinipilit niyang takpan at ilibing. Lumalabas pa rin.

Kahapon, inilunsad ng Citizens’ Congress for Truth and Accountability ang “People’s Court” na siyang magdinig ng mga akusasyon laban kay Arroyo na pinilit ng mga kongresistang kaalyado ng Malacañang na ibaon sa pamamagtian ng pagpatay ng impeachment complaint.

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Ambassador Bobi Tiglao

Published by Ellen on October 28, 2005

Rigoberto Tiglao, head of the Presidential Management Staff and one of Gloria Arroyo’s trusted advisers, will be appointed ambassador to Greece.

Tiglao’s nomination was supposed to have been signed yesterday, a highly reliable source said. It will be submitted for confirmation to the Commission on Appointments, which is expected to be convened when Congress resumes session on Nov. 7.

The Department of Foreign Affairs next week will ask Greece for its agreement to the nomination of Tiglao, who will replace Lourdes Morales, who will be sent to Cambodia.

Tiglao’s foreign assignment has surprised even some members of Arroyo’s inner circle and has led to speculations on why he has opted to be away at a time when Arroyo’s hold on the presidency is precarious.

The political opposition is stepping up efforts for the ouster of Arroyo, who has been accused of cheating in the 2004 elections. The court martial of Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani and Lt. Col. Alexander Balutan for testifying before the Senate on the use of military personnel to cheat in favor of Arroyo in the 2004 elections has sharpened the restiveness among young military officers who refuse to be used to protect a discredited president.

One source said Tiglao is “running away.” Another source said the ambassadorial post is Arroyo’s reward for Tiglao who had been loyal to her throughout the crisis. In the aftermath of the Hyatt 10’s resignation, Tiglao, together with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Environment Secretary Mike Defensor, took the offensive against their former colleagues, accusing them of betrayal of trust.

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Nocturnal President

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2005

First published in PCIJ’s “I” Magazine in 1999

by Ellen Tordesillas
Pres. Estrada’s late-night buddies influence decision-making in the Palace.

EstradaTHE MEETINGS take place at night and last until dawn. There, views are traded, strategies prepared, and deals struck. By the time the men at the table stand up and stagger out the door, much has been accomplished that may affect the way things are done in this country. President Joseph Estrada, of course, presides over these meetings. But more often than not, those gathered around him during these caucuses are far from being Cabinet secretaries. Rather, they are his personal friends, some of them buddies of long-standing, such as Ilocos Sur Rep. Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson and Caloocan congressman Luis ‘Baby’ Asistio, with whom, it is said, the president shares a fondness for the pleasures of the good life—gambling, alcohol and women included. Singson and Asistio, say Malacañang insiders, are among the president’s most constant late-night companions.

There are other persistent hangers-on, wheeler-dealers like online bingo operator Dante Tan whose BW Resources Corp. has been accused of insider trading and manipulation of the stock market. Certainly, it would seem that ethnic Chinese businessmen are keenly aware that with Estrada, out of sight is out of mind, and are among those that a Palace insider says are fond of “slipping in when dark sets in.”

Ramon Lee, a close associate of Dante Tan and an Estrada election contributor, drops in occasionally, say Malacañang sources. So does Lucio Co, the goateed owner of PureGold duty free stores who was recently accused of being a big-time smuggler. Another fixture of the late-night teté-a-tetés is Jaime Dichavez, a fiberglass manufacturer and real estate developer who was recently involved in the corporate coup at Belle Corporation, operator of the controversial jai-alai games. Dichavez, who has no official post except as head of the Malacañang golf club, is another of the President’s most trusted businessmen-friends.

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